Wolf-Child
by SebastianRaikkonen
Summary: (Formula 1 RPF: Simi) For farther back than anyone can remember, the Humans and Wolf-Children have been separate. If there is a wolf-child born on the human side of the border they are to be immediately brought to the border in order to be given to the wolf-children. The same with a human born in the Wolf Lands. One day though, a woman decides not to bring her child to the border.
1. Prologue

Excerpt from "The Wolf-Children: Guide to our neighbors to the East" Written by Meesta Brundo: Council Scribe~ Era 1: Year 6

"At birth, some children are blessed. The spirit of the wolf mixes with their own. This gives them the power to call upon the wolf at will, and when not channeling the wolf are gifted with heightened senses, reflexes, and strength. The price they pay is once a month being forced to give themselves over to the wolf, on the night of the full moon, the wolf takes over, controlling their actions, and running free with only it's own inhibition. This causes a great fear toward the wolf-children, the humans demanding to be separated from these "monsters." The land became divided, the wolf-children controlling the east, the humans controlling the west.

While our world consists of mostly villages, with a few cities like the capital. The wolf-children differ, some wander in groups called "packs" with an Alpha, or a leader, controlling the pack. The underlings are called Betas, they make up the meat of the pack. Some of them also have villages, with their own forms of government. It is not known if they have currency, or churches to the Elder Gods in these villages, as since the split, no human has been through there. There are also those who wander around without a pack, these are Omegas. These are wolf-children who have either been abandoned by, or removed from the pack. This is more common than it is believed, due to limited resources, especially in the wandering packs, if one does not pull their weight, they do face the threat of being removed. This is very dangerous for the now Omega. As without the love, security, or comfort a pack provides, they tend to become feral, or wild. Usually either dying due to the stress put on their bodies and mind, or submitting completely to the wolf, and letting it take over. The Omegas brought the first fear of the wolf-children as they were aggressive toward humans, attacking children who mistook the wolves for dogs. After this fear began to spread, humans began to quake at the sight of all of the wolf-children, even the youngest ones.

The belief that being human guarantees you a human child is false, you do have a higher chance of your child being simply human, but just as a wolf-child can have a human, a human may give birth to a wolf-child. Back when the lands were one, this was not a problem, but now that it is separate we have made a system. The child's species is revealed at their first full moon, when they are either taken over by the wolf, or sleep peacefully. If a child is born on the wrong side of the line, they are brought to the border, where Temple Priests allow them to adopt from the children brought over from the other side. This maintains the balance. If a wolf-child is found where the humans are, they are immediately brought back. It's the same if a human attempts to live among the wolf-children. Thus our two lands are kept in harmony for future generations."


	2. Part I

Ever since giving birth to her first son Rami, Paula Raikkonen had faced much anguish in trying for another child. Each time the pregnancy miscarried she lost more hope. Going to church didn't help, the Priests would tell her that it must be due to wicked acts earlier in life, that the Elder Gods are punishing her. Her only comfort was her husband and only son. She prayed and prayed for another child, even if she could only have one more she would be happy. Once again she became pregnant, she tried not to worry, not wanting to cause too much stress. She carried to term, and one night, in the middle of a storm, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy that she named Kimi. Paula was overjoyed, she kept on counting his fingers and toes, making sure that he was real. Her joy was quickly dampened though during the very next night.

The house was quiet, the light of the full moon streaming in through the shuttered windows. Paula shot up out of bed though as Kimi began to cry. She walked through the small cabin up into the loft where the boys slept, and crept by Rami over to Kimi's crib, she lifted the veil, and almost screamed. The baby that she had wanted so badly, that she had prayed, weeped, and hoped for, was a wolf-child. She lifted him out of his crib, her son looking like a newborn puppy. He wasn't crying anymore, now making a soft whimper of discomfort. Paula stroked his head, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind. In that moment she came to a crucial decision, one that would forever change their small family, she wasn't going to let her miracle child be brought over to the Wolf Lands. It would be difficult, possibly even dangerous, but Kimi would grow up in his own family, no matter what.

~18 Years Later~

"Boys! Wake up!"

Kimi groaned, hearing his mother call up the ladder to himself and Rami. He knew though that if he stayed in bed, his mother would think he was sick or something. He opened his eyes and rose up, eyes adjusting to the sunlight streaming in through the shuttered window. He could hear Rami quietly snoring on the other side of the room. He got out of bed, quietly stretching before putting his feet on the sun-warmed wood of the floor. Slowly, he crept over to the other side of the room, checked to make sure Rami was still sleeping, and jumped on top of him.

"YAUGH!" Rami cried out, at both being woken up, and being jumped on. "Gods Damn you Kimi, I told you not to do that anymore! You're seventeen, start acting like it!"

"Actually I'm eighteen today, so now every decision I make is wise and mature."

"Oh right, I almost forgot. Have you prepared to hear about how much of a miracle you are from Mother?"

"Hey, in my defense you get told how everything you do is amazing on yours."

"That's because everything I do is amazing...Wait, isn't tonight the full moon?"

"Yeah, so I'm not really going to celebrate, at least I'm not making anyone anymore suspicious of me than they already are."

"BOYS, DO NOT MAKE ME GET YOU OUT OF BED MYSELF!" Paula shouted upstairs, interrupting the conversation.

Kimi got up from sitting on his brother, moving to go downstairs.

"True, but people in this village are suspicious if someone sneezes." Rami stated, flicking Kimi in the back of the head on their way to the main part of the family's small cabin.

"Yeah, but it get's weird, it's as if they suspect me to be a wolf-child or something." Kimi joked.

"Man, wouldn't that be the shock of the era?"

"There you are! I thought you two were never going to wake up." Paula chided, looking between her two sons.

"Sorry Mother." They both replied, looking at the floor.

"Oh, the Gods have made me soft, I can't stay mad at you two, especially it being my little miracle's birthday, and not just any birthday." Paula walked over to Kimi, taking his head in her hands, squeezing his face. "Today you are a man, but you will still be my little miracle."

"Of course Mother." Kimi replied.

"Now, Rami my dear, go get your father, it is time for breakfast."

"Yes Mother."

Rami exited the cabin, leaving Kimi and his mother alone. Paula walked over to the fireplace to start putting breakfast on plates.

"I know that you do not have a lot of time to truly celebrate your birthday, but are you and Rami doing anything today?" Paula asked.

"We'll probably go fishing at the river, nothing too out of the ordinary."

"That sounds good, we'll have fish for supper tonight. Just be back early though so that we can have an early supper."

"I know Mother, come home, eat supper, go down to the root cellar, and howl in happiness at how much fun I'm having."

"You'll never get a wife with that attitude."

"I'll just have to live with my mother for the rest of my life, eating the supper she cooks and fishing with Rami then."

"When the Elder Gods blessed me with another son, they never told me he was going to be a smart mouth."

Kimi grinned, sitting down at the table.

"Now why haven't Rami and your father come in yet? Kimi go check and make sure that they haven't gotten lost on their way to the house."

Kimi got up and made his way outside, looking around. To his surprise, neither his father or brother were in sight. He could hear talking through to the side of the family cabin. He turned his ear and crept along the side a bit to pick up the conversation.

"Dues are just something we all have to live with, Matti. The church is our connection to the Elder Gods, and you wouldn't want to upset them, because it affects all of us." A voice stated with an edge of threat to their voice. Kimi knew it had to be someone from the church, collecting their money. They claimed that donations were optional, that they would understand if the more destitute families wouldn't be able to pay, but they always forced you anyway with threats to your family and home.

"I understand that, Brother Ekkelston, but I just do not have two coins to rub together, I had to buy seeds for planting, and there were not a lot of demands for odd-jobs. I have donated every month for years, I'm sorry but I cannot do it this month."

"Well perhaps Brother Torjer can help you find a little money."

Kimi rushed over to look around the corner, as the aforementioned Brother Torjer raised a flogging stick up to strike Rami. Kimi, in a split-second reaction lept from his hiding place, pushing Rami and himself out of the way. The flog hitting the empty air. Brother Ekkelston looked at Kimi, his face twisted in disgust and anger.

"You dare interfere in the actions of the church, boy?" He spat, grabbing the flog from Brother Torjer and approaching them. Kimi was breathing heavily, feeling light-headed from the adrenaline. Rami looked dazed from the impact into the ground. Matti tried to stop Brother Ekkelston's approach.

"Please, don't hurt him, he's just a boy still. Please, I'll pay you double my usual donation next month. Just don't hurt him." Matti pleaded.

"I'm not going to hurt him, I'm going to teach him a lesson." Brother Ekkelston raised the flog, bringing it down with all of his strength.

Kimi didn't feel it at first. He saw that he was about to get hit of course, but he didn't register the pain. He could feel something was wrong though, the adrenaline keeping the pain away but also diverting to something else. He realized what the odd feeling was though, it was exactly how he felt on the full moon, right as he was about to have his body taken over. Kimi's eyes grew wide, as he tried to quickly crawl toward the house, he needed to get to the root cellar, and fast. His efforts were dampened though as once again he felt a blow come down over his back.

"Don't you try to run away you little whelp, take your punishment like a man." Brother Ekkelston spat.

Kimi couldn't hold the spirit of the wolf back any longer, he whispered. "Sorry, Mother" and let it wash over him. His body began to transform, bones extending and snapping into place. His torso elongated, his hind legs shortening and acquiring a few layers of muscle. Rami to the opportunity to run inside, going to fetch their Mother.

"Where did you three go? I sent Kimi out to fetch you a few minutes ago."

"Some men showed up from the church asking for monthly dues, and Father denied them. They went to flog me as a threat, but Kimi appeared out of nowhere and knocked me out of the way. They hit him instead, and he tried to crawl back to the house but they hit him again. Now he's changing. I thought he could only do that when the moon was full!"

"I think I remember hearing stories from my Grandmother that wolf-children could bring their power forth at other times, but I thought it was just a tall tale." Paula rushed out of the house, Rami following quickly behind. When they approached, Kimi was not Kimi anymore, but a giant wolf covered in platinum fur. He was growling at the men of the church and had Matti behind him. Paula feared this day since she had found her son in his cradle that night. If he killed the men of the church, he would be hung, if he didn't he would be exiled to the Wolf Lands. She had to intervene, and just hope to the Elder Gods that Kimi recognized her.

"Kimi! Stop this, now!" She called out, the power in her voice not betraying how worried and scared she was.

Kimi looked at her, icy-green eyes full of anger. But they slowly faded into sadness. Kimi looked back at the men, before going over to stand by his mother's side.

Brother Ekkelston looked at the family with pure disgust, before addressing Paula. "Government officials will be here at dawn to pick that monster up, if you try to run, hide him, or fight, you will all be executed. Unfortunately the law will not garner any punishment on you, but I expect to be able to pick up your donation to the church tomorrow as well." With that Brother Ekkelston and Torjer turned heel and left. The Raikkonen's watching them. Paula dropped to her knees, and put her arms around Kimi's neck, she began to weep uncontrollably, tears falling into Kimi's fur, which was slowly retreating back into his skin. His joints were popping into place, and shrinking. When he once again had arms, they wrapped around his mother, knowing that in just a few moments, he had messed up eighteen years of effort and work keeping himself hidden.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Kimi sobbed out.

Paula pulled out of the hug, holding Kimi's head in her hands, brushing her thumb against his cheek.

"It is not your fault. You didn't know, you couldn't have known. It's alright my baby, my little miracle. You're going to be okay, I know you're going to be okay."

"I just want to stay here, I know nothing about the Wolf Lands, I'll get killed."

"No you will not, you will live, you will survive, and someday, you will come back."

"I can't come back though, after tomorrow morning, I can never come home."

"I know that you will be able to. I know that you'll find a way."

Kimi just looked at his mother, tears still in their eyes.

"Now let's go inside, you need to put on some clothes." Paula smiled sadly.

They got up, Kimi covering his manhood with his hands. They made their way inside, Kimi went upstairs and put some clothes on. Looking around his bedroom, the bedroom that he had grown up in. He ran his hand over the bed that he didn't bother making this morning, knowing that while he was working in the shop with his father, it'd be made. He never realized how many things he had taken for granted, food, shelter, love, warmth. Kimi sighed, knowing his family were probably waiting for him so they could eat.

As he went back down the stairs he saw, that the other members of the family were sitting silently, his mother had tears on the edge of her eyes, his father had his head in his hands, and Rami just sat, staring at his plate. Kimi approached and sat down, he normally wouldn't feel like eating, but just like after a normal full-moon transformation he felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Kimi dug into the breakfast laid before him, never mind the fact that it was cold from sitting while events took place around it.

There was suddenly a knock on the door. Matti got up, and answered it, it appeared to be an town official.

"Can I help you?" Matti asked, a tired edge to his voice.

"I am Davo Counhard, fourth chair on the village council. We have been informed of your...fugitive, and have decided that with the lunar cycle coming to it's peak tonight, your son is to be moved to the Wolf Lands immediately. You get a short amount of time to get anything together and say your goodbyes." With that Davo turned around and walked up to a wagon, Kimi had seen the wagon before, it was one of the semi-closed ones with bars on the top part, and walls halfway up. One of the ones that brought someone to prison.

"Why? He hasn't hurt anyone in the entire eighteen years he's been on this earth, he stays in the root cellar on the full moon." Rami questioned.

"I don't know, it must be Brother Ekkleston decided that he was being too lenient." Matti replied.

Paula got up and went behind the curtain that held the bedroom she shared with her husband. A moment later she emerged with a large rucksack.

"Kimi, go upstairs and grab some of your clothes, your winter boots, and a thin blanket." Paula ordered. Kimi got up and immediately went upstairs, grabbing breeches, some tunics, undergarments, his winter parka, his boots, and the blanket. He rushed back downstairs, where his Mother was putting food and supplies into the rucksack. Kimi put the clothes on the table, and turned to Rami. He brought his older brother into a hug, not really able to find the strength to say goodbye. When the embrace ended, Rami spoke.

"You know how to hunt, you know how to fish, if push comes to shove, let your wolf protect you. If you are invited into a pack, do not be too hasty to join unless you know that they are not taking advantage of you. Remember, that they cannot be too different than us. If you keep your wits about you, you will survive this. I love you my brother..." Rami assured, tears falling down his face as he looked upon the younger brother that he adored.

Matti gathered Kimi up in his arms next. "I will never forgive myself for this. If I had just manned up and paid the dues, none of this would have happened. But sentiment will not fix anything. You are a Raikkonen, you are a strong boy. When you get to the Wolf Lands, with any time you have left before the moon is fully risen, find shelter. Perhaps a cave. You need somewhere to lay your head until you find a better arrangement. You will be in a foreign land, they will do things differently, but you will get used to it. I love you, my son."

Finally Kimi stood in front of Paula, who had finished packing the rucksack. "My miracle, my beautiful miracle. I failed to protect you, and do not protest that statement. It is a mother's duty to keep her child out of harm's way, but here you are being shoved out into the wilderness. When I held you in my arms, on that first full moon, and looked down at your beautiful face, I promised that I wouldn't let them take you, and I'm sorry that I am now breaking my promise. I love you my miracle. I know that you will survive, and that someday you will be back. In my heart I know that you will come back to me. Now, grab your bag. I packed anything I thought you could use, and I pray that it will be enough."

"I love you, Mother. And you, Father. And you, Rami." Kimi choked out, trying with all his willpower not to sob.

They all embraced one final time, before Kimi exited the cabin, not looking back. Davo, sneered at him, before opening the back to the wagon, and waiting for Kimi to get in, then proceeding to lock it tight. After a few moments, the wagon lurched forward, heading toward the border, and Kimi's new life.


End file.
